Introducing Fingerlings Hugs….

Since the original Fingerlings range launched in 2017, Erin has been a massive fan, with her beloved pink cheeky monkey hanging upside down on his climbing frame in our lounge and regularly getting into mischief. Neve is always desperate to get her hands on that pink little monkey, which inevitably results in a bit of squabbling as Erin tries to keep him out of reach! The Fingerlings range has recently expanded to include unicorns, pandas, dragons and even dinosaurs, but their most recent addition to the range is even more exciting!

This Autumn has seen the launch of Fingerlings Hugs – a larger plush style alternative, with all the interactive Fingerlings elements we know and love, and I have a feeling these are going to be pretty popular on the Christmas wishlists for 2018! With Neve having recently turned two, I thought this would be a great option for her as a birthday gift.

About Fingerlings Hugs

The world famous fingerlings have now gone supersized! Just like their smaller cousins, Fingerlings Hugs are interactive loveable pets, but this time, they come in giant plush form. With long arms perfect for hugs and cuddles, children can swing, pet them or rock them to sleep. With over 40 different sounds, there are many interactive elements to help bring this loveable monkey to life. Give them a kiss and watch as they kiss you back, record a message and listen as he repeats back in funny ways. Throw and twist him in the air to hear him cheer!

Fingerlings Hugs are recommended for children aged 3 and above (however with parental supervision I personally found these are fine for Neve at 2 years). They are available in two different colours and characters – Boris (Blue) and Bella (pink)

Fingerlings Hugs are battery operated (test batteries included) and retail at £29.99 at The Entertainer.

Our Review of Fingerlings Hugs

I can honestly say I have never seen Neve react to a present the way she did when she first unwrapped the Fingerings Hugs to reveal the large smiling monkey sat in the box with his arms folded across his chest. First there was a big exclaimation of WOWWWWW and then a huge cuddle when we unpackaged him from his box.

We popped the arms around her neck (they fasten together with Velcro) and she immediately started running around the living room in absolute hysterics, finding it really funny the way the monkey was clinging on to her body as she ran. I have never heard her laugh so hard ever, so it was very very funny to watch. Neve was running so fast in fact, that taking a non blurry photograph of her playing was almost impossible, but hopefully you get the general gist!

We were sent Boris, the Blue version of the Fingerlings Hugs, and the first impressions are that he really is really very cute. Not only does he have a friendly welcoming face with eyes that open and close and a big tuft of ginger hair, but he is pretty much life size for Neve, meaning that he is perfect for a nice big snuggle.

To wake up the Fingerlings Hugs you simply press the button in his left ear and he springs to life with a funny voiced “hello!!”

The instructions in the box clearly outline all the different interactive elements of Fingerlings Hugs, of which there are many, with basic actions such as patting and pressing to trigger the response.

Some of Neve’s favourites include:

• The Kiss – press your Fingerlings Hugs’ mouth to your cheek or skin and you’ll get a smooch in return – the longer you hold it there the longer the kiss you receive! It was really funny watching Neve hold him against her lips for ages listening to the mmmmmm sound before pulling away to here the smacker of a kiss. A quick peck and you get a quick smooch back but the longer you linger, the longer the sound.

• The Burp – pat your Fingerlings Hugs on the back and they will let out a variety of different sounding burps – some small and hiccup like and others a full on belch. Neve found the burps absolutely hilarious and laughed hysterically every time he let out made this sound.
• Lie your Fingerlings Hugs down his eyes will close and he begins to snore.
• Lay him on his back and tickle his tummy to hear him laugh.
• Throw him in the air and he goes Weeeeeee
• Press and hold the button on his ear to record a message, and the Fingerlings Hugs will repeat it back to you in a funny little voice.
• The Fingerlings Hugs is meant to fart if you shake / quiver him but we have only managed to do this a couple of times so it appears that there is a bit of a knack to this particular talent. This however is possibly not a bad thing otherwise he would be farting A LOT in this house lol!

Overall the Fingerlings Hugs has been a massive hit with Neve, and I love the fact that he is a cuddly comforting toy as well as being fun and interactive. Neve enjoys snuggling with him on the sofa whilst watching TV before bed. From a parent’s perspective, the sounds aren’t too loud or annoying, and there is the ability to turn him off so that the sounds aren’t present at all should you wish (although where is the fun in that!)

From a critique point of view, it would be great if Fingerlings Hugs came in a wider choice of colours as the pink and blue thing is a little bit of a cliché. We found that sometimes the actions don’t happen as quickly as you would expect them to, almost as if it hasn’t registered what you are asking it to do, but found that a quick throw in the air and “weeee” would almost reset it so that it worked immediately on the next attempt. That might be coincidence, but it seemed to work for us!

Finally, the voice recording function only plays your message back once, and therefore you cant replay the same voice recording over and over again, which is a shame if you’ve captured something really funny and would like to hear it a second time. It would be great if you could repeat the last recording until you decide to re-record.

I predict that these are going to be a big hit with little ones this Christmas, so if you want to avoid disappointment, it may be worth checking them out and stashing them away early for Father Christmas!

Fingerlings Hugs are available from The Entertainer and retail at £29.99.

*Disclosure – We were sent a Fingerlings Hugs free of charge for the purpose of this review however all thoughts and opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links*